The series is a family saga which centers around the eponymous character Buddy Longway, a trapper who lives in the wilderness. He lives as a partner of a Sioux Native American woman called Chinook. In the course of the series, they have two children, Jeremy and Kathleen. Main topics of the series, which is set in the 19th century, are living in the wilderness, interracial relationships,[2] Native American culture, coming of age (Jeremy and Kathleen) and age (Buddy Longway).